Author: Brad Beckett

Airbnb is launching a new “housing accelerator” with an initial $250 million in last-dollar financing intended to unlock more than $5 billion in housing investment, beginning with affordable housing in Austin, Texas. According to their release, the initiative will also support local zoning, permitting and building-code reforms, release new housing-policy data, and award $5 million in prizes to five organizations developing technology to make homebuilding faster, cheaper and easier. Click here to read the full story at Airbnb.

With current mortgage rates hovering around 7%, a recent chart of the day from HousingWire gives us a snapshot of mortgage rates over the past 13 years by percentage rate and utilization (using FHFA data). Interestingly, it reveals that more people have rates over 6% than those with 3% or lower.

The American Land Title Association (ALTA) says seller impersonation fraud (SIF) has become more widespread, sophisticated and financially consequential in just two years, according to new research from their recent report.  Their findings, based on responses from 245 title insurance professionals across the country, reveal criminals are broadening their targets, adopting new technologies and attempting increasingly complex schemes.  The study found that 59% of firms reported experiencing at least one seller impersonation fraud attempt in 2025, more than double the 28% reported in ALTA’s 2024 study.  They say the increase suggests seller impersonation fraud is no longer confined to isolated…

According to ATTOM Data’s August 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, there were a total of 40,277 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions).  This figure is up 1% from one month ago and up 13% from one year ago.  Nationwide, one in every 3,569 housing units had a foreclosure filing in August with South Carolina posting the worst foreclosure rate (one filing for every 1,547 housing units) followed by Nevada (one in every 1,920); Florida (one in every 2,397); Texas (one in every 2,445); and Maryland (one in every 2,530). “August’s data shows that foreclosure…

Local Market Monitor recently released their monthly National Economic Outlook where they share their thoughts on developments taking place in the U.S. economy. Click here to read more at Local Market Monitor.

The U.S. Government is reporting that sales of new single-family houses in August, 2026 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 684k, which is 6.4% higher than July’s revised rate but is 2% lower than one year ago.  The median sales price of new houses sold in August was $393,700 with an average sales price of $478,700.  There were an estimated 483k new houses for sale at the end of August representing an 8.5-month supply at the current sales rate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

According to the latest Cotality Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI), U.S. single-family home rental prices increased 1.8% year over year in July, 2026.  They say July’s monthly increase of 0.4% continued a return to normal seasonal patterns that took hold in early 2026 after nearly a year of below-trend growth, which kept national rent growth below historic averages.  Nationally, the Midwest continues to see the strongest rental growth in the nation, Chicago saw price growth of 5.0%, followed by Detroit (3.7%), Philadelphia (3.5%), New York (3.3%), and Miami (1.2%).  Interestingly, rent growth for detached rentals (1.9%) slightly outpaced that of attached…

The Visual Capitalist says buying a home remains challenging for younger Americans as home prices and borrowing costs stay elevated.  Indeed…Citing data from SmartAsset & Zillow, today’s graphic ranks all 50 states by the share of mortgage applicants who were under age 35 in 2025.  Stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! “Demographics, incomes, migration patterns, housing supply, and local labor markets can all play a role. States with younger populations or stronger inflows of young adults, for example, may see a higher share of mortgage demand coming from people under 35 even when homes are relatively expensive.” Hat tip…

Earlier this week we posted the Pending Home sales for August.  With that in mind, a recent chart of the day from HousingWire gives us a snapshot of weekly pending home sales for the past 3 years.

Realtor.com says as the U.S. housing market cools and enters its late-summer slowdown, price reductions are spreading nationwide, but some metro areas are being hit much harder than others. High mortgage rates, changing supply-and-demand conditions, and more realistic seller expectations are driving broader price corrections, particularly in markets that experienced rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. “One common thread for most markets—including Austin, Tampa, San Antonio, Denver—is 2020–22 boomtowns continuing to give back some of their pandemic-era gains. These are also, by and large, places with much more inventory now than pre-pandemic norms,” he says. Among the 50 biggest metro…